Marsh has a definite formula. She again features a stage play (this time performed by amateurs) and the murder is once again committed by a rigged up Marsh has a definite formula. She again features a stage play (this time performed by amateurs) and the murder is once again committed by a rigged up prop (of a kind). The likely suspects, again, are so unlikeable that I doubt any readers would care which of them is the guilty party.
Most of the book is Alleyn and Fox interviewing the suspects and witnesses. I did think it was obvious who the murderer was but, as usual, I didn't work out the finer details (especially the significance of the red onion in the teapot!).
The romantic subplot for Alleyn and artist Agatha Troy was limited to a letter and a few offhand mentions. I wanted more. I will admit there are some funny moments (the red onion in the teapot, for example), but there could have been more to elevate it from a routine mystery to something much better.
Marsh definitely got her groove on with Artists in Crime and has continued with Death in a White Tie.
This time Alleyn’s investigates firstly a blackmaMarsh definitely got her groove on with Artists in Crime and has continued with Death in a White Tie.
This time Alleyn’s investigates firstly a blackmail plot, and then a murder, both which have occurred during a debutante coming out for the Season ball. The setting leads to the suspects being limited to those in attendance of the party.
Alleyn’s new love interest, Agatha Troy, and Alleyn’s mum, both feature again and it’s wonderful. Both characters have added so much to the series so quickly.
Along with the new characters, Marsh’s style seems to have matured so much since the first five books. She has managed to present the mystery plot much more organically these last two books, as opposed to her earlier titles where Alleyn simply interviewed suspects/witnesses one at a time.
Looking forward to seeing if Marsh continues along this winning path.
I was a huge fan of the Halifax tv series from the 90s and that was my major reason for picking up this book. Simpson was that series’ script writer bI was a huge fan of the Halifax tv series from the 90s and that was my major reason for picking up this book. Simpson was that series’ script writer but this is his first foray into novel writing and, on the whole, he makes a pretty good fist of it.
For anyone [too young?] who has never watched the show, Jane Halifax is a forensic psychiatrist who works with the police. Being the same writer, Jane’s characterisation is exactly right. The other character from the tv show who features in Transgression is police Inspector Ringer. I loved Simpson’s line about Ringer looking like Hugh Jackman. Jackman played the role when he was very young (and ridiculously good looking).
Jane is called in to help Ringer catch a killer whose tortured victims appear to have no connection to each other. The murders are much more gritty and violent than I usually prefer to read about but I guess they needed to be something out of the ordinary for the police to include Jane in their team.
For a scriptwriter, as I said, Simpson does a good job of adding in descriptive prose and characters’ thoughts etc. I never found there was an overload of dialogue, nor do I remember any clunky moments with his writing style.
I swapped between the book and audible format and I have to give a shout out to the audio narrator, Aimee Horne, who sounded exactly like Rebecca Gibney.
Looking forward to Simpson continuing with some more books featuring Jane.
I have to wonder that, considering the last couple of Alleyn books were a little weak, that Marsh decided to find her mojo by returning to her roots. I have to wonder that, considering the last couple of Alleyn books were a little weak, that Marsh decided to find her mojo by returning to her roots. Vintage Murder is not only set in her native country of New Zealand but also specifically in a theatre, where Marsh had worked for many years prior to writing. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say either setting worked for me.
Actually the theatre setting pretty much negated the NZ setting. Instead of showing off the countryside of the country, Marsh kept most of the action confined to the stage and its entry/exit points. When she did include descriptions of her country’s charms, it came during an awkward picnic between Alleyn and his prime suspect which turned Alleyn into an annoying MartySue.
The only other time Marsh highlighted the NZ scenery was in a train journey at the beginning of the novel. (I don’t really understand why Marsh didn’t just stick with this setting and leave the characters on board.) She also tried to incorporate some Maori mysticism and racism into the book with mixed results.
Alleyn is supposed on the New Zealand trip due to recovering from some sort of illness. I assume Marsh was hinting at PTSD and mental health struggles for someone employed in his line of work. This idea wasn’t fleshed out enough though to be effective (Mayers does this so much better with Lord Peter). And, maybe due to this idea, Alleyn’s humour seemed to be absent for most of the book which was awful. The entire charm of his character comes from his humour.
The other issue I had was that the plot was far too similar to the plot of Enter a Murderer, which was only a couple of books ago. As in that earlier book, Alleyn is again the guest of a theatre troupe when the murder takes place and again the murderer uses a prop failure to kill their victim. I’m not sure if Marsh is trying to be funny or ironic when she has a minor character, an actress employed in both troupes, wondering about how similar the two cases are.
This historical fiction book introduces us to Tom, a sailor who, unusually I imagine considering his usual rugged and manually strenuous occupation, iThis historical fiction book introduces us to Tom, a sailor who, unusually I imagine considering his usual rugged and manually strenuous occupation, is also an avid artist. While on shore leave, he meets Catherine, a fellow artist whom he instantly recognises as talented with a bold flair, despite her lack of appreciative enthusiasts. This is the beginning of a gentle love story which incorporates many themes including feminism, classism, jealousy and guilt.
I thought the language, dialogue and mannerisms of the characters were perfect for the book’s setting of the 1840s. Paterson’s prose was very dreamlike and lyrical and this, too, perfectly suited the time setting and plot. I was a bit slow finishing this book, and I put this down to often reading some of the beautifully written surreal passages more than once.
If asked beforehand, I would have imagined the descriptions of the art and painting would have been what drew me into the book, yet, surprisingly it was the descriptions of the sailing and the ships which captivated me the most. I don’t remember reading a book which included such fascinating titbits around life on the water.
Recommended for anyone looking for a unique read. 4 out of 5
* Thanks to Better Reading AU and Simon and Schuster Australia for my preview copy....more
This, the fourth of the Roderick Alleyn series, book was a real disappointment.
I must point out that I decided to listen to this one via Audible and wThis, the fourth of the Roderick Alleyn series, book was a real disappointment.
I must point out that I decided to listen to this one via Audible and wonder if that format influenced my feelings towards the book. I really don't recommend the audio version. The narrator, whilst not awful, just failed to portray the humour which is usually my favourite part of these books. Some scenes, which surely Marsh added for comic effect, just became tedious and annoying (such as the scene near the beginning when all the suspects and witnesses were introducing themselves). In fact, my mind wandered so much when listening I probably missed a lot of the vital details.
In a weird way the plot is a bit more gritty than I come to expect in these classic mysteries. It centres around a cult and drug dealers. (The way Alleyn interviewed a suspect on drugs without seemingly expecting any violence was a little disconcerting.)
All in all this book wasn't very enjoyable and I don't think this book added anything to the series and I would suggest you could easily skip this one. ...more
Marsh's third Roderick Alleyn book has a very clever premise but, unfortunately, it wasn't executed that well.
The Nursing Home Murder has nothing to Marsh's third Roderick Alleyn book has a very clever premise but, unfortunately, it wasn't executed that well.
The Nursing Home Murder has nothing to do with what we would call a nursing home in 2023 but is, instead, set in what we would now call a private hospital. The victim is a patient, the Home Secretary no less, being operated upon by a few likely suspects. Of these, his ex-mistress (a nurse) and the surgeon who is love with her, are the most interesting. The others - including a politically motivated Bolshevik nurse, a sleazy doctor, a conman chemist, his haughty wife, and his scatty hippy sister - not so much.
The saving grace for me was Alleyn himself. He continues to be hilarious. As is his offsider, Inspector Fox. There's also a very brief but funny appearance by Nigel Bathgate and his fiancee who also featured in the previous two books.
All in all, this isn't a bad book but it wouldn't be the one I'd recommend to anyone if I was trying to convince them to read the series.
This year I've decided to read the Roderick Alleyn books by Ngaio Marsh for a challenge of 'catching up on a mystery series' by reading an installmentThis year I've decided to read the Roderick Alleyn books by Ngaio Marsh for a challenge of 'catching up on a mystery series' by reading an installment each month.
I have read book one and six previously, so I was already familiar with the character of Alleyn and I like him immensely. Even though it probably bears little resemblance to what Marsh describes, I have such a clear picture of what I believe him to look like, and his mannerisms, in my mind as I'm reading.
In this mystery, Marsh uses her knowledge of the theatre (she was a producer) to set a murder on the stage. The one problem with these older mysteries is that their plots have been copied so many times, you get a sense of familiarity/deja vu. I felt this with the set up of murderer replacing prop bullets with real ones during a shooting scene of a play. I guessed whodunnit quite quickly and I'll assume this was due to the many times I've seen the plot done since.
Given the theatre setting, Marsh was able to include a plethora of eclectic characters. There was also the constant question of how truthful the witnesses were being. After all, when giving their statements and answering Alleyn's questions, they could be simply acting.
Marsh also once again included the journalist character, Nigel Bathgate. I quite liked him as the sidekick and will be interested as to how many times he features in the future (I say this as I feel like no one ever seems to refer to him as they would Watson, for example).
For a book written in 1935, I didn't find the language too difficult to follow. Most of the slang terms I've heard with, perhaps, the exception of 'tight' meaning drunk.
The only hiccup I found was Alleyn's sexual tension with the play's leading lady. It felt forced and seemed to crop up out of nowhere. He also doesn't seem to be the type who would fall for the cloying damsel in distress, so to speak. I wondered if this plotline was included as some sort of request by Marsh's publisher. *shrug*
4 out of 5 and I now have to resist picking up book three until February!...more
After enjoying Pomare’s last couple of books I couldn’t wait for his new offering. But…
Pomare has foregone both Australia and New Zealand and chosen AAfter enjoying Pomare’s last couple of books I couldn’t wait for his new offering. But…
Pomare has foregone both Australia and New Zealand and chosen America as the setting for The Wrong Woman. I suppose he did this to both crack into the American market as well as include elements into the plot that wouldn't have completely worked in Australia (or NZ). Unfortunately though, I just feel like setting the book in the US made The Wrong Woman very generic and bland. (I had a very similar feeling with Dervla McTiernan's The Murder Rule.)
The book is written from the POV of two narrators, Reid and Eshana. I liked Reid, an ex cop turned private detective hired by an insurance company to investigate a car accident which he comes to believe is linked to two missing girls. Eshana, the survivor of the accident, is less likeable and way more of a cookie cutter character. I’m sure I could point out 4 or 5 books I’ve read in the last couple of years with female characters exactly the same as Eshana and her predictable storyline.
Apart from the blandness of the characters and setting there was also, disappointingly, minimal tension and obvious twists.
I wouldn’t call The Wrong Woman a bad book but I just can’t get past the generic been-done-before-a-million times feeling I had whilst reading. 3 ½ out of 5 ...more
I’ve read quite a few great books so far this year already but this one has been my favourite (to date).
After living in England for several years, EmiI’ve read quite a few great books so far this year already but this one has been my favourite (to date).
After living in England for several years, Emily Kirkland returns to her hometown in New Zealand after learning her father, Felix, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Felix is an upstanding member of his community, the local doctor before his retirement, and close friends to his neighbours, the Paratas. Leah Parata is the subject of a 25 year old mystery since she set off for a hike and never returned. The event has always had a significant effect on the Kirkland family - Emily was the last person to see Leah alive; Felix was one of people in charge of the search; Emily’s brother was in love with Leah - so now, in amongst the fog of memory loss, when Felix starts speaking about Leah it’s no surprise. However, it is a bit of a shock for Emily when Felix starts hinting that he knows more about Leah’s disappearance than everyone thought and that perhaps a murder was committed.
I loved the setting. Shamefully, I have not read many books set in New Zealand. Unlike some books the setting is very important and Norman writes the flora and fauna beautifully. I can picture it all so easily in my mind, especially the mountains on which Leah went missing.
Norman’s handling of Alzheimer’s was really well done. Although it is a plot device, she somehow never used the disease in a cliched or disrespectful way.
Although this isn’t a traditional thriller -- the book could probably be categorised as general fiction or family drama - Norman does a fabulous job of creating tension and suspense when it comes to Felix’s supposed innocence or guilt. I might have guessed a few of the outcomes but the resolution was not completely as cut and dry as I'd supposed.
I can really imagine this on screen. In fact some producer needs to jump on board and film this asap (with Sam Neill playing Felix obviously).
Thanks very much to Allen and Unwin for gifting me a copy of this book, I might not have picked it up otherwise. I definitely plan on reading Norman’s back catalogue. Highly recommend. 5 stars....more
JP Pomare is fast becoming a must-read author in the thriller genre in Australia/NZ. In this, his fourth title, he’s written a unique and contemporaryJP Pomare is fast becoming a must-read author in the thriller genre in Australia/NZ. In this, his fourth title, he’s written a unique and contemporary book full of tension.
The Last Guests is told from the first person point of view of Lina, a paramedic married to Cain, an ex-SAS officer who has returned from service with PTSD, a gambling addiction and anger issues affecting the success of his PT business. After some convincing, Lina agrees to make her family home available on ‘Westay’ (a stand-in for AirBnB) for some extra cash. Cue adultery, voyeurism, accusations of drug use, a home invasion and murder.
I must admit I wasn’t really sure who was responsible for the crimes in the book. Along with the plethora of likely suspects and red herrings, Pomare added tension by the bucketload. It simmered along, making the reader fret over Lina’s fate.
Yes, I did cheer on Lina, despite the fact she wasn’t the most likeable leading lady I’ve come across. Cain too was hard to warm to, proving Pomare’s writing was slick enough to keep me interested without adoring the leads.
I loved the setting - Auckland and Lake Tarawera in New Zealand. It made me want to visit the area (but maybe I’ll look for a normal hotel room when travel opens up again though).
The book’s subject matter is quite disturbing at times, most likely due to the realism of the plot. Adding to the authenticity was the fact that not every part of the crime plot was not tied up neatly. Even now, a while after finishing, I’m unsure how I feel about that.
I must mention one thing that I did hate -- Pomare’s character name choices. He’s not quite in Chris Hammer’s league but I will admit to often getting Cain and Axel mixed up as me just thinking, ‘the husband is the one with the stupid name’ didn’t narrow it down.
I’m sure Pomare has another hit on his hands. 4 out of 5
I recently read and enjoyed In the Clearing, so I thought I’d give this, Pomare’s third offering, a go.
The book starts and finishes with a man being I recently read and enjoyed In the Clearing, so I thought I’d give this, Pomare’s third offering, a go.
The book starts and finishes with a man being pushed in front of a train by a woman. In between, of course, Pomare keeps us guessing as to who these two characters might be and just why they’ve ended up in this position.
Margot is married with two teenage kids and works as a psychologist. The story advances from a month before the train incident and is told in Margot’s first person point of view. We get to observe her family life as well as her interactions with her patients at their therapy sessions. When her family is threatened, Margot immediately suspects one of the patients is involved.
Although Pomare was going for surprise and plot twists, I must admit I thought most of the reveals were obvious. Maybe that’s because he cleverly planted the seeds for the twists; there’s some obvious hints which I noticed early on. And to say that Margot gets far too involved in the patients’ lives is an understatement, so it was always obvious she'd end up in a sticky situation.
That’s not to say I wasn’t invested and engrossed in the story though. I powered through the book pretty quickly, and found it quite entertaining.
I got to read this book via a free Audible version. It certainly doesn’t read like a freebie- I would have been happy to pay something for it. The narrator, Aimee Horne, does a great job with the different accents and genders.
Pomare and his publisher released Tell Me Lies in paperback and ebook format late in 2020 for those who aren't into audio books. I would recommend you give the book a go if you're looking for a nice bit of escapism in the form of a psychological thriller.
What I don’t advise you to do is read the advertised blurb on Goodreads and Amazon. It has major spoilers (here I was, busy trying to write my review without spoiling and noticed this! Crazy!).
Okay, I concede Tell Me Lies isn't enlightening literature but it's definitely a satisfying and readable book - 4 out of 5...more
Unlike most readers, I was not really that impressed with Pomare’s debut novel, Call Me Evie. However, I had the opportunity to pick up In the ClearinUnlike most readers, I was not really that impressed with Pomare’s debut novel, Call Me Evie. However, I had the opportunity to pick up In the Clearing cheap and thought I’d give him another go. I’m pleased I did because In the Clearing was pretty good.
I was a bit worried when it came to the content. I am not a big fan of anything featuring cults. I am, to be completely honest, terrified of the mere idea of cults. This book didn’t change anything in this regard. It probably only added to my terror when I found out Pomare based the cult and a lot of the storyline on a real life Australian cult, The Family. *shudder* (I would recommend you do not google the The Family cult until after you finish reading as it might give away too much of the plot.)
The book has two narrators. Amy is a teenager who is being raised in the cult. She is, of course, being isolated from society and brainwashed into believing her mother is the reincarnation of Jesus. She is also being abused by the adult members of the cult and when the cult kidnaps a young girl, she starts to question the extent of that abuse and her mother’s teachings.
The second narrator is Freya. Freya lives alone with her seven year old son, Billy. We learn she is paranoid and overprotective of Billy. Obviously, gradually, Pomare reveals Freya’s past that explains her current mindset, and we learn how the two characters are linked.
There were a couple of things I thought were quite obvious with the book but there are also a couple of huge twists which I did not see coming --at all! I think I’ve added a couple of stars for these twists alone. They really made me go into shock when they were revealed.
The writing flowed nicely. Pomare’s action and descriptive passages were better than average. I checked my review and I was quite bored when reading Call Me Evie. I definitely didn’t have that issue this time around.
I did listen to the audio version and I quite liked the narrator. On the whole I enjoyed her voice/tone choices.
After finishing, I am still completely disturbed by cults. I’ll remember to give that as my excuse should anyone ask me to join a yoga class. (Always good to have a number of reasons at the ready.)
This book is very popular and has heaps of 4 and 5 star ratings. So… Maybe I was expecting more… I don’t know… Anyway, I wasn’t a fan.
The story is tolThis book is very popular and has heaps of 4 and 5 star ratings. So… Maybe I was expecting more… I don’t know… Anyway, I wasn’t a fan.
The story is told [mostly] from 17 year old Kate’s first person point of view, and split into ‘before’ and ‘after’ sections. The ‘before’ section shows Kate struggling with some normal, and not so normal, teenage drama. Her father, a beloved Australian ex-rugby player, behaves a little too controlling and strict for comfort. Her best friend is a manipulative bitch with an inappropriate creep of a father. And she’s in love with Tom, who displays unacceptable levels of jealousy.
The ‘after’ sections show Kate supposedly being held captive by a man in a farmhouse in remote New Zealand. The man, Jim, tells Kate he is protecting her from the Australian police and media and that she needs to go by the name Evie so that no one recognises her from the news/social media. The reader only gets hints to what has occurred to get Evie/Kate and Jim into this situation and the story unfolds gradually through the ‘before’ narration.
The reader is not supposed to know who Jim is but I think it’s glaringly obvious from the start. The reader is also supposed to feel scared for Kate/Evie’s plight but I felt quite apathetic towards the character for 99% of the time.
I did have a few issues with the plausibility of many scenes from both the ‘before’ and ‘after’ sections. I know some scenes and occurrences were supposed to plant seeds of doubt for the reader about the reliability of the narrator but, for me, I just kept thinking, ‘who acts like this?’; especially the scenes featuring the New Zealand locals. I got to practise my eye rolls anyway.
A lot of the book is ambiguous. I mean, it all made sense after reading to the end, I’m not that stupid, but there is an almost otherworldly feel to many of the scenes, in particular the ‘after’ scenes. I’m not sure if it was deliberate on the part of the author — were we supposed to be thinking everything Kate was experiencing was through a mental fog? — but either way, it annoyed me. And, truly, bored me.
A lot of reviews say they were hooked, that the book is compulsive reading or addictive or some such. Meanwhile, I was bored. I was actually surprised at how bored I was. I kept waiting for something to happen to draw me in or make me appreciate what other readers loved about the book but it never happened. I remained bored.
I only went through to the end to find out how good the twist at the end was. It was okay, I suppose. Although it’s a familiar twist that seems to recur in this genre which, again, elicits more eye rolling.
I did listen to the audio version. Maybe the narration gave the scenes something less (or more, depending on which way you look at it) than if I’d read it the traditional way. I don’t know…
Anyway, I wasn’t a fan. 2 out of 5
PS I’m confused as to why Goodreads names Jim ‘Bill’ in their blurb.Does this mean there’s been changes to the books somewhere along the way? Never a good sign....more
This is a re-read. I loved this book when I read it (10 years ago!) and I decided to read the series (well, 12 this year - one a month) on that basis.This is a re-read. I loved this book when I read it (10 years ago!) and I decided to read the series (well, 12 this year - one a month) on that basis. I must admit I have found the others in the series a little underwhelming and I thought I might have been disappointed when I revisited Artists in Crime. Happily, I wasn’t.
I’m not sure why but the previous books in the series (ie books one to five, this is number six) seem to have quite a different feel to them. They are almost amateurish in comparison and Marsh seemed to lack direction. On face value, all Marsh did differently with Artists in Crime was add a new character, Agatha Troy, as her leading man’s love interest. (Even a love interest was nothing new for Alleyn. Marsh was teetering on making him a Marty-Sue with the amount of women batting their eyelashes at him in the earlier books.) Yet, somehow, with Agatha, Alleyn, and Marsh really, becomes much more well-rounded and mature.
The murder case is a lot more violent than in books of this time. Marsh did use the prop as a murder weapon yet again (this is now the third time) but it was much more effective. She also again added a locked room scenario but, also, she did this much more effortlessly than before. I also never got confused with the supporting characters (no need to refer to the list of characters for me this time!).
If I was to recommend this series to someone else to read, I think I would say to make this a starting point. This I say with a touch of trust that Marsh will continue with this higher standard from now on. Fingers crossed!
5 out of 5
Previous review:
I read this on a friend's rec after I finished reading all the Vane/Whimsey books of Sayers's because of the similarities between that couple and the couple in these books, Roderick and Agatha. Roderick Alleyn is actually a real detective from Scotland Yard in these books, and I must say that makes it a bit easier to understand why he gets to investigate the murders a little more than Lord Peter. The woman he pretty much falls in love with from sight is Agatha Troy, an artist on the same cruise as he is. When they return to England, he is called upon to investigate a murder that has occurred at her studio. Most of the minor characters/suspects are rather awful and I felt little pity for any of them. (Marsh is a New Zealander and she makes the Australian character a real fool! LOL!). Although I did guess the murderer, it didn't worry me much, because it was still an unusual scenario. Of course I didn't read it for the murder. I was reading it for the romance, and Marsh didn't disappoint. I liked how she gave just a few crumbs for us about what happened on the cruise; our imagination can run wild. Like Sayers, Marsh can also give a lot of depth to a character's apparent throw away line. I'm assured this couple get to feature in many more of Marsh's books, and I'm looking forward to reading them.
Lee at ReadWriteWish
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